“Judge a Relyon by its spring count, its fillings and whether it needs turning, because several retailers sell Relyon mattresses under names of their own.”
No-turn or two-sided
Start here, because this choice splits the Relyon range in two. Most models on this page are no-turn. They have one sleeping side and only need rotating head to toe, weekly for the first three months and every three months after that. The Braemar and the Heyford Ortho 1500 are two-sided, and Relyon’s care advice is to turn and rotate them once a week for the first three months, then once a month. Turning shares the settling of the natural fillings between both faces, but a double Relyon is heavy and awkward to flip on your own. If nobody in your house will do it, buy a no-turn model. Relyon’s care advice also confirms that a Relyon can go on a slatted frame as long as the slats are no more than 7cm apart.
What more springs and better fillings buy
Relyon names most models after the number of pocket springs in a king size, so the Guildford 1000 has 1,000, counted the way most 1,000 pocket sprung mattresses are, and the Luxury Silk 2850 has 2,850. More springs let the surface follow your shoulders and hips more closely and stop two sleepers rolling together. How the springs are made matters as much as how many there are. The National Bed Federation’s Bed Advice UK guide sets out the benchmark: “Better-quality pocket springs are encased in calico pockets, hand-nested in a honeycomb pattern and centre-tied with linen cord.” That is how Relyon builds its Heritage mattresses such as the Braemar, and it explains much of their higher price. If a Relyon is over budget, cheaper spring mattresses from other brands are in our pocket sprung ranking.
The fillings decide how the mattress feels and how warm it sleeps. Wool, silk, cashmere and pashmina breathe and draw moisture away from the body, so they suit warm sleepers and keep the bed comfortable through the year. Memory foam, used in the Chelsea 1500 Memory, moulds closely to your body but holds more heat. A pillow top adds a separate soft layer on top, which side sleepers usually like and some back sleepers find too soft.
Pick the feel for how you sleep
Side sleepers need the shoulder and hip to sink in a little, so a medium mattress with a pillow top, the Natural Luxury Supreme 2150 or the Luxury Silk 2850, is the safest choice, and our side sleeper ranking lists softer models from other makers. Back and front sleepers usually do better on medium-firm, like the Chelsea. Heavier sleepers and anyone who likes a hard bed should look at the Heyford Ortho 1500, or at the wider choice of firm mattresses. Each retailer on this page sells a model in one tension only, so the model you pick sets the feel. If no Relyon suits you, Hypnos, Harrison Spinks and Sleepeezee are the other British makers of sprung, natural-filled mattresses, Slumberland sells a wool Naturals range through Bensons, and the best mattresses ranking covers every type.
Check the retailer’s terms as well as the price
Relyon sells only through stockists (the company’s history and ownership are on our Relyon brand page), and some stockists sell versions of their own. The Chelsea, the Guildford and the Natural Luxury Supreme are MattressNextDay models you will not find on Relyon’s website. Returns terms differ as much as the names. At MattressNextDay you can cancel within 14 working days of delivery only if the mattress is unopened and unused, and you pay for the return. Mattressman lets you exchange a mattress bought with one of its protectors between nights 30 and 60, for a £50 fee. Neither retailer offers a money-back sleep trial on these Relyon models. If you are unsure about a feel, lie on the model in a shop before you order.
